Historical Figures Codexery

John, King of England

King of England who sealed Magna Carta and lost the Angevin Empire.

The nickname "John Lackland" came from the expectation that, being a younger son, he would not receive substantial land inheritances.[1] Jim Bradbury, a historian, notes that current scholarly opinion views John positively as a "hard-working administrator, an able man, an able general".[2]

Quick Facts

Reign
1199–1216
Coronation
27 May 1199
Predecessor
Richard I
Successor
Henry III
Father
Henry II of England
Mother
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Born
Christmastide 1166/7
Birthplace
England

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

After Richard became king in September 1189, John was made Count of Mortain and was married to the wealthy Isabella of Gloucester.[3] After Richard's death on 6 April 1199 there were two potential claimants to the Angevin throne: John and young Arthur I of Brittany.[4] He reached an adult height of about 5 ft 5 in, had a "powerful, barrel-chested body", and dark red hair.[5] John was an avid reader who, which was uncommon for his era, assembled a collection of books that traveled with him.[5]

The majority of English and Norman nobles backed John, and his coronation occurred at Westminster Abbey.[6] In May 1200, John and Philip agreed to the Treaty of Le Goulet; through it, Philip acknowledged John as Richard's legitimate successor regarding his French territories.[7] Although John's victory at Mirebeau greatly improved his standing in France, he quickly lost these advantages by how he handled both his prisoners and his ally William de Roches.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "- Jean sans Terre.", www.rct.uk; Norgate (1902), pp. 1–2. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Turner, p. 23. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Warren, p. 38.; Warren, pp. 38–39.; Warren, pp. 39–40. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Carpenter (2004), p. 264.; Barlow, p. 305; Turner, p. 48. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McLynn, pp. 27, 77.; Warren, p. 140.; Warren, pp. 139–40; McLynn, p. 78 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Warren, p. 53.; Warren, p. 51. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Turner, p. 98.; Warren, p. 55.; Warren, p. 63. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "John, King of England" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Turner, pp. 100–101.; Turner, p. 101.; Turner, p. 101. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article John, King of England (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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